Storm shade



L. ROTH STORM SHADE 3 Sheets-Sheet l .Filed Jan.' 19, 1955 Aug. 12, 1958 L. ROTH 2,847,064

STORM SHADE:

Filed Jan. 19, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 12, 1958 L. Rom 2,847,064

STORM SHADE Filed Jan. 19. 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 United States Patent STORM SHADE LeotR'oth', Palos Heights,.lll. Application January 19, 1955, Serial No. 482,721

2 Claims. (Cl. i60-267) `from the damaging eiects of wind, rain and snow has been a problem confronting occupants and owners of houses and other buildings for many years. The influx of Wind, rain andv snow around the edges of the devices, the time necessaryv to operateaseries of covering devices, and the inconvenience of operating thedevices from the outside have proved troublesome in the past. n lfhe recent increase in` construction of homes provided with screened-inV breezeways` and terraces and thetrend to\ 1v`ardV the furnishing. of these :breezeways and terraces with furniture and rugs that-maybe damaged b'y the effeet's of wind, rain and snow have presented the modern home owner with the serious problem of coveringS the screened openings ofthe breezeways and terraces quickly andl completely when a wind, rain or-snow storm arises. What has been needed is aY protective device that can completely cover the openings, but-yet that can be placed over the openings rapidly so that allV the openings can be covered before any damage from rain, wind and snow will occur. It is desirable thatthe protective device be inconspicuous `when not in use and that when not in use' the device will not overlap any portion of the openings, thereby reducing the amount of desirable sunlight, air circulation andl vision. Ease andsimplicity of operation are also desirable so that anyone, including a small child, may cover the openings before damage occurs. Y

ti the "asf, many' attempts" have been made to provide a satis'fc ry covering. The mostcommon and widely y-sed device being the vertical awning," consisting of a waterproof material secured` to the top of theopening and rolled upona roller that rotates` as it. is raised and lowered hy' cords or other means. These' awnings are Aplaced either on thenside or the outside of the screened opening, When placed on the outside of the opening the awning' can" cover the openingv and prevent `wind, rain or snovv'froiiie'nt'ering butvbeing, on the outside necessitates' the lowering from the outside which requires the operator to be eiposed to wind, rain, snow, and cold. Also, being on the outside, such awnings are easily dan'lagt-xiy by highwinds'. To eliminate the inconvenience and delay of'having to operate from the outside, awnings are often'pla'ced on the inside of the opening, but when so'located' the 'rain or -snow'striking the awning is apt to travel down along" the awning onto the floor causing damage to rugs and furniture. In either the outside or inside position the'awning has the characteristic of a sail inthat wind will` malte the awning nap and tno'v'e `t'wtfay from the opening thereby ,allowing'the damaging forces ofwind, rain andsnow to enter thcjbree'z'eway or terrace; lfthe awning is placedl on the inside of Vthe opening' the awning itself can cause' damage when it moves under' the force .of astorm.`

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According toA thel present invention, there is provided a' device whichis not subject to the foregoing disadvantages of the outside and inside awningsr in that it completely covers vthe opening on the outside without allowing snow or rain to run down the surface onto the oor of the br'eezeway o'r terrace and yet it is operable from the inside. In addition, the present invention eliminates the sail-like disadvantage of both 'the uses of an awning as described above i'nthatthe shade is'V so mounted and framed that it is impossible for the shade to nap or bow and whenlowe'red the shade at all times completely covers the opening* and at no time can Wind, rain or snow enter through the opening'.l

The shade of the invention is held rigidly in place by (1) being placed. close to the screen so as' to' 'have one side backed upther'ehy, r(2) having rigidly secured horizontal bars close 'to the ontside of the shade to back up theA other side, and (3) employing guide channels to guide theled'ges of the shade as' the shade is raised and lowered and to hold the shade edges against vmovement when the shade is inv the lowered? position.

The members forming the channels are so constructed that' the' channels extend upwardalmost contacting the roller. The shade, therefore,may be rolled almost completely upon the roller and still have a portion in the channels. This type of construction forms a compact and inconspicuous device which allows rrl'ounting` in restricted areas and allows the shade.. rohe rolled out of sight when not in use so as' not to obstr'ctu're light, vision, or air circulation.

@ther andV further objects'r and features of the invention will be readily" apparent from the following descrip/- tion and drawings' in which:

Figure l is a-.perspect-iveview ofi a conventional screen frame with the storm shade mounted' thereon;

Figi 2 is a front` elevational view, including a partial section;`

Fig. 4l isI ahorizontal section' taken -along line of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is'a` top'plan view of a guide member; v

Fig. 6 is a front` elevational' View of a guide member;

Figi.` 7 isT a' side elevational viewof a guide member;

Fig.l 8 is a horizontal section taken along line 8-8' of Fig. 6;

Fig. 9' is a` front elevational view including a par-tial section showingT the sealingv strips in place;

Fig. l() is aver-tical sectionY taken along: line' 10e-:10 of Fig.I 9;

Fig. 1l is a horizontal section takenv along linel 11a-11 of Fig. 9;k

Fig.' IZfisa horizontal section-taken' alongline112e-12 of Fig 9;-

Fig. i3 lis a perspective view of a section of a vertical sealing; strip; and

Fig. 14` isa perspective view ofthe end of a horizontal sealing stript' While' thisinvention i is susceptible of embodiments in many differentforms, there isfshown in' the drawings and-'will-herein be described in detail one sepcec embodi ment-,lwith the understanding that the present disclosure is tobeV considered as` an exemplication of theA principles ofthe invention and is not intended `to limit the invention'v tothe' embodiment illust-rated The scope of the` inven# tion will be pointed out in the appended claims.

e `Referring now to the drawings,` a portion of a porch, breezeway, or terrace is shown containing a vertical opening 2l);v Surrounding the` opening 20 is a frame 21: consisting ofa top piece 22, a bottom piece 23, and two side pieces 24. Covering the outside of the opening 20 a typical wire screen 2'5 which is attached to the frame' 21 by a molding 26 which completely surrounds the opening and is adjacent thereto. A conventional window shade roller 27 is mounted on the top piece 22 of the frame by shade roller brackets 28. A framework 29 protects the front and ends of the roller. The top of the roller is usually protected by eaves or some other projection of the building structure. However, if no such eave or projection exists, a top can simply be placed upon the framework. A shade 30 is rolled upon the roller -in the manner of a window shade. This shade may be made of any transparent material, preferably plastic, so that light and vision will not be completely obliterated when the shade is lowered. Two vertical guide members 31 having L-shaped cross-sections are secured to the front of the side pieces 24 of the frame, thereby forming vertical guide channels 32 adjacent the opening. The width of the shade 30 is slightly larger than the width of the opening so that the side edges of the shade will overlap the side pieces 24 of the frame and ride in the guide channels 32 while being lowered and while in the lowered position. The length of the shade is slightly greater than the length of the opening so that the shade will overlap the bottom piece 23 of the frame. So that a portion of the side edges of the shade 30 will remain in the guide channels when the shade is almost completely rolled on the roller 27, the guide members 31 extend upward beyond the top of the opening 20, the guide channels 32 therefore also extend upward beyond the opening. To avoid contact between the portion of the shade rolled upon the rollers and the guide members, a portion 34 of the end of the guide members is removed and the outer surfaces of the guide members are provided with inwardly tapered end portions 33.

The guide channels 32 are adjacent the screen and therefore guide the shade 30 so that it is also adjacent the screen. Thus the shade cannot bow inwardly due to the presence of the screen. To prevent the screen from bowing outwardly a plurality of bars 35 are mounted across the opening in a direction substantially transverse to the direction of motion of the shade 30. These bars 35 are rigidly secured to the guide members 31 by means of brackets 36. The brackets 36 are mounted to the guide members 31 adjacent the guide channels 32 so that the shade 30 may not bow outwardly sufficient to dislodge the shade edges from the guide channels.

With the shade on the outside of the screen the conventional operating means would also be on the outside of the screen. However, this invention has been provided with the end of the operating cord on the inside. This result has been obtained by providing a hole through the bottom piece 23 of the frame, a pulley 37 is mounted on the outside surface of the bottom piece 23 of the frame above the hole 40, a second pulley 38 is mounted on the inside surface of the bottom piece 23 of the frame above the hole 40, and a third pulley 39 is mounted on the inside surface of the top piece 22 of the frame. A cord 41 is attached to the end of the shade 30; it then passes over the outside pulley 37, through the hole 40, over the lower inside pulley 38, over the upper inside pulley 39, and has a grasping means 42 attached to its free end for ease of operation from inside the breezeway or terrace.

An added feature of the device is the insertable means of sealing the top, bottom and sides when the shade is to remain in the lowered position for a long period of time such as from fall to spring. The means consists of two horizontal strips 43 having inwardly tapered ends 44 and two vertical strips 45 having wedge-shaped crosssections. When it is desired to seal the shade, one horizontal strip 43 is mounted across the outside of the shade 30 above the top of the opening 20, the tapered ends 44 extend into the vertical guide channels 32. The ends are so tapered that the strip is held firmly in place against the shade thereby forming a seal across the top piece 22 of the frame of the opening. The other horizontal strip 4 3 is similarly mounted on the bottom piece 23 of the frame. The two vertical strips 45 `are wedged into the guide channels 32 outside of the shade thereby forming a seal along the vertical edges of the shade. The ends of the vertical strips contact the ends of the horizontal strips, forming a seal completely surrounding the opening 20.

During normal operation the sealing strips are easily removed from the device and may be stored for future use.

I claim:

1. A weather protective covering for the outside of a screened opening framed by side, top and bottom pieces comprising: a roller, means for rotatably securing said roller to the outside surface of the top piece of the frame adjacent the opening, a shade having one end secured to the roller and being wound thereon, said shade having a length and width larger than the corresponding dimensions of the opening, a pulley secured to the outside surface of the bottom piece of said frame above a hole in the bottom piece, a pulley secured to the inside surface of the bottom piece of said frame above said hole, a pulley secured to the inside surface of the top piece of the frame, a cord having an end attached the free end of the shade, said cord passing over the pulley on the outside of the frame, through said hole, and over the two pulleys on the inside of the frame, said cord having a free end hanging from the pulley on the inside of the top piece of the frame, said free end being provided as a connecting means for raising and lowering the shade, a pair of parallel vertical guide members having substantially L-shaped cross-sections, one leg of each guide member being set back from the opening and being secured to the outside of a side piece of the frame, the other leg of each guide member overlayv ing the frame in the direction of the Opening and forming a substantially U-shaped guide channel for guiding a side edge of the shade, said channel having a side formed by the side piece of the frame, a base formed by the leg of the guide member secured to the side piece of the frame, and another side formed by the other leg of the guide member, said channel being exteriorly of and closely adjacent to said screen, each guide member having an end closely adjacent said roller and shaped to accommodate said roller, each said channel having an end adjacent the roller, a plurality of horizontal barsv extending across said opening, and means of rigidly securing said bars to said guide members adjacent to and exteriorly of said guide channels.

2. A weather protective covering for the outside of a screened opening framed by side, top and bottom pieces comprising: a roller, means for rotatably securing said roller to the outside surface of the top piece of the frame adjacent the opening, a shade having one end secured to the roller and being wound thereon, said shade having a length and width larger than the corresponding dimensions of the opening, a pulley secured to the inside surface of the top piece of the frame, a cord having an end attached to the free end of the shade, a friction reducing device mounted on said bottom piece and having a rotatable cord carrying and guiding member for guiding the cord through an opening in said bottom piece, said cord having a free end hanging from the pulley on the inside of the top piece of the frame, said free end being provided as a connecting means for raising and lowering the shade, a pair of parallel vertical guide members having substantially L-shaped cross sections, one leg of each guide member being set back from the opening and being secured to the outside of a side piece of the frame, the other leg of each guide member overlaying the frame in the direction of the opening and forming a substantially U-shaped guide channel for guiding a side edge of the shade, said channel having a side formed by the side piece of the frame, a base formed by the leg of the guide member secured to the side piece of the frame, and another side formed by the other leg of the guide member, said channel being exteriorly of and closely adjacent to said screen, each guide member having an end closely adjacent said roller and shaped to accommodate said roller, each said channel having Ian end adjacent the roller, a plurality of bars extending across said opening, and means of rigidly securing said bars to said guide members adjacent to and exteriorly of said guide channels.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 693,957 Euphrat Feb. 25, 1902 Whitmore Oct. 11, 1910 

